The Olympic Peninsula is one of the few truly wild places left in the United States. As an isolated land mass, Olympic wildlife has had to adapt to conditions which start at sea level and rise to almost 8000' where Mount Olympus towers over the entire area. A great diversity of mammals, marine life and birds inhabit the peninsula and thrive within the area's various biomes.

Mountain goats have few natural predators; primary causes of death are avalanches, rockslides and old age

A pair of Roosevelt Elk graze near the Hoh River - they're named for Theodore Roosevelt and are the largest elk species in North America

Black bears are found throughout the Olympic Peninsula, with high concentrations in rain forest corridors

Sea stars and anenome in tide pools on Shi Shi Beach; Sea Star Wasting Disease is decimating large populations in the Northwest

A black-tailed buck enjoys the sun in the alpine meadows of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park

A river otter (Lutra canadensis) slides into the Hoh River - River otters can weigh up to 30 pounds

An Olympic Marmot stands in a field of bistort at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park - Olympic marmots prefer fresh, tender, flowering plants such as lupine and glacier lilies

Olympic Marmots possess a complex communication system, leveraging verbal and pheromonal forms of interaction

A Cascades Frog enjoys the cool mud of the Queets River Valley - one of the most remote areas in Olympic National Park

A juvenile Bald Eagle rests before flying across the Bogachiel River - It can take up to 5 years to reach sexual maturity, at which point its tail and head will turn white

A raccoon climbs a tree in the Queets River Valley, Olympic National Park - Male raccoons are called Boars and females are called Sows

Sooty Grouse are common in lower elevations of the Olympic Peninsula; their low frequency mating calls of the male can be heard by the female from over 1/2 a mile away

An American Bald Eagle scans Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park - About half of the world's total Bald Eagle population resides in Alaska

A tagged Peregrin Falcon forages on Shi Shi beach - Peregrines hunt the beach for shore birds

A Belted Kingfisher scans the lower Hoh River - it will hover or sit in place directly over a river, watching for fish before diving to catch them

A black bear naps high in a tree near the Enchanted Valley Chalet in Olympic National Park - The historic Chalet is now in danger of being destroyed by the Quinault River

A Bald Eagle with a juvenile share a seal carcass on Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park - Eagles are opportunistic scavengers with an undiscerning diet

A group of Roosevelt Elk forage for food in the waters of the Hoh River, Olympic National Park - they feed mainly on ferns, shrubs, lichens and grasses

A Varied Thrush prepares to take off with a full mouth - near Mount Townsend on the east side of the Peninsula

A Minke Whale surfaces in the Strait of Juan De Fuca off the North Olympic Coast - Minkes can grow between 25 - 30 feet long and are balene whales

The Pacific banana slug is the 2nd largest terrestrial slug in the world - 2nd to the European Limax cinereoniger

A group of seals gather on the shores of the Pacific Ocean along the incredible Olympic Coast

Olympic NP hosts the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt elk in the Pacific Northwest - seen here in Andrews Field in the Queets River Valley

A River Otter bounds into the Pacific Ocean at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park - They feed mainly on crayfish, fish, and small rodents

A Black bears surveys the Humes Ranch area of the Elwha River Valley in Olympic National Park